Everyone in this story is over the age of 21.
*****
Soames wondered some days if he should've gone into heating and air conditioning installation as his brother had. The field Soames had chosen, or that chose him, had its emotional rainy days. Rina Blumenthal smiled at Soames uncertainly. She was unattractively attired in a velour pantsuit that did not well mask her forty "few extra pounds" as she probably presented it on OkCupid.
Rina put the envelope with Soames's tribute on the table.
"How did we do this week with the sentences?" Soames asked in a friendly way. "You had some messengered over to me yesterday, but there seemed to only be nine hundred seventy-one. I think we agreed on fifteen hundred by Wednesday, didn't we?"
Rina went into her voluminous handbag and pulled out a stack of greasy paper. She must've been on them all night, Soames noted with grim amusement; the lines under her eyes were ill concealed with grotesque Seventies eye shadow.
"I finished the last thirty in the back of the cab." Rina said proudly.
"And you didn't get your secretary to help this time? Ah, good girl."
"No, your punishment, Mr.Soames was so-and anyway I had to fire Marissa afterwards because I thought she'd tell everyone what the sentences were."
"Yes. 'I will refrain from being a vain sow today' might arouse some questions in the mind of any assistant." Soames said, as he lit a stogie.
"Why don't you take off that hideous pantsuit, while I go over this week's lines."
Did she flinch? Rina spent thousands of dollars on clothing, sometimes going to Niemen-Marcus two or three times a week trying to find flattering apparel.